How Smart Shopping Leads To Better Health, Even On Budget

Smart shopping starts with a grocery list. By shopping with a grocery list, you not only realize cost benefits, but you save time, make healthier food choices and become more conscious about the things that are important in your life. We’ve all experienced going into the grocery store to pick up that one thing, then leaving the store with a trunk load of items, many of which we could have done without. Well this can easily be avoided by shopping with a list.

First, when you make your grocery list you should do so after having taken inventory of what is needed around your home. Other things to take into consideration are your budget, what you deem to be a priority and future planning. With all these things in mind you can set out to create your grocery list. Now that you have your list you can decide where to do your shopping. This should primarily be based on competitive pricing, which is why another good practice is to scan the local newspapers and sign up for newsletters and alerts with the local grocers or food manufacturers for coupons and sales.

Next, after you’ve made your list, gathered your coupons, and decided where to shop its time to do the actual shopping. When it comes to grocery shopping smart planning is key. However, it can at times be challenging because not only are you attempting to realize cost savings, but you also want to make healthy food choices and herein lies the challenge. This is where smart planning, difficult decision-making, budget and grocery lists all come into play simultaneously.

For instance, say you’re looking to purchase ketchup. You see that the store brand ketchup is on sale for an unbeatable price at your local grocer. However, you also know that it’s over-ridden with high fructose corn syrup and other nutrient dense ingredients that you prefer to do without. Meanwhile, the organic ketchup is also on sale at the health food store, but cost a dollar more. What do you do? You’re on a tight budget, but at the same time you’re determined to change your eating habits for the better and ketchup is on your grocery list. Well, it comes down to what’s more important, money or your health. In the end, you realize that you can’t buy good health and without it you cease to be so you purchase the organic ketchup and feel good about your decision. After all, you didn’t stray from your list and you still realized a cost savings, which was actually two-fold. You saved money on the retail price and a future trip to the doctor or on prescription drugs needed to treat a health problem which was the result of a poor diet.

Smart shopping is not just about grocery list and coupons, but it’s about making healthy choices and careful meal planning that in the end save you more than just money. Smart shopping is essentially about making you a priority.